Blogs

Our blogs provide fresh, impassioned and authoritative commentary and insight about the variety of civil-liberties issues that the ACLU of Michigan takes up each day in our courts, governments and communities.

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With the help of dedicated volunteers and community activists, the ACLU of Michigan works to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the individual rights and liberties that are guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

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The ACLU of Michigan is one of more than 50 affiliates in the United States. As such, we encourage you to know as much as possible about your civil liberties. Further, if you feel those liberties have been violated, we suggest you submit a complaint. We only accept complaints that occur within the State of Michigan. If your complaint arose in a state other than Michigan, you must contact the ACLU office in that state.

About Us

Since our founding in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union has led the fight to conserve our most precious liberties. Through the passion of our supporters, we have grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 active members and supporters with 54 state affiliate offices as well as a legislative office in Washington, DC.

Disability Rights

Despite evidence the Americans With Disabilities Act works, people with disabilities are still, too often, treated as second class, shunned and segregated by physical barriers and social stereotypes. They are discriminated against in employment, schools, and housing, robbed of their personal autonomy, sometimes even hidden away and forgotten by the larger society. Ensuring equal access for those with disabilities is a core guiding principle of the ACLU of Michigan

SCOTUS Rules Unanimously on Behalf of Michigan Girl with Cerebral Palsy Who was Prevented from Bringing Service Dog to School

2017-02-22 00:00:00

WASHINGTON—In a sweeping victory for students with disabilities nationwide, the US Supreme Court ruled today that a Michigan girl with cerebral palsy may sue for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act unrelated to the adequacy of her education without first exhausting administrative proceedings.

The Walter Barry Case (Video)

Seven-Year-Old Handcuffed at School

2016-03-04 00:00:00

In October 2015 a “school resource officer” working in Flint handcuffed a seven-year-old student with ADHD when the student did not immediately respond to the officer’s instruction. The student was not a threat to himself or others and was handcuffed for nearly an hour solely on account of his disability-related behavior. In March 2016 the ACLU wrote a letter on behalf of the family seeking wholesale policy changes to ensure that no more children are handcuffed at school. We are continuing to work with Flint in an attempt to resolve the matter.

Attempted Expulsion of Ten-Year-Old

2016-08-15 00:00:00

After a ten-year-old Detroit Public Schools student with special needs was accused of throwing toilet paper, she was dragged to the principal’s office and placed in handcuffs by a police officer. The girl panicked, and as she struggled she allegedly kicked the officer. The child was accused of assaulting school personnel and designated for expulsion on those grounds as the 2016 school year was drawing to a close. Counsel from the ACLU of Michigan attended the expulsion hearing in August 2016 and urged that she not be expelled, as such a severe punishment would prevent the enrollment of t

Ehlena and Wonder’s Supreme Court Case: The Right and Wrong Way to Treat Students with Disabilities

2016-10-26 00:00:00

The story behind the disability rights case being argued in the U.S. Supreme Court on Halloween is a story about the contrast between kindness and cruelty, a story about the right way and the wrong way to treat kids with disabilities.

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear the case of Ehlena Fry, a 12-year-old Jackson, Mich., girl with cerebral palsy who, at age 5, was banned from bringing her service dog to class. At the heart of the appeal is whether students in certain circumstances can bring claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act without first exhausting administrative processes under a separate law.

Lawsuit for Special Education Records

2016-08-09 00:00:00

Ever since the State of Michigan created the controversial Education Achievement Authority (EAA) to take over failing schools in Detroit, there have been complaints that students with disabilities are not receiving adequate special education services. The EAA outsourced special education services to a for-profit company called Futures Education of Michigan, paying the company millions of taxpayer dollars to serve our most vulnerable children. Details regarding this private company’s actual services, however, have remained elusive.

ACLU to Supreme Court: Fulfill the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Twenty-five years ago, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark civil rights law designed to guarantee Americans with disabilities broad rights and freedoms. Tragically, however, stubborn stereotypes, combined with narrow court rulings, have robbed many Americans of the rights promised by the ADA.

ACLU, ACLU of Michigan Petition U.S. Supreme Court on Behalf of Girl with Cerebral Palsy Who Was Prevented from Bringing Service Dog to Class

2015-10-15 00:00:00

WASHINGTON, DC—The ACLU of Michigan and the National ACLU today petitioned the US Supreme Court to rule on whether the group can move ahead with a lawsuit filed on behalf of an 11-year-old Jackson, Mich., girl with cerebral palsy who, at age 5, was banned from bringing her service dog to class.